Beach and bathing garment



Feb. 15, 1944. COBB I 2,341,596

BEACH AND BA'I'HING GARMENT Filed Aug. 19, 1940 I Patented Feb. 15, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,341,596 BEACH AND BATHING GARMENT Margaret R. Cobb, Redondo Beach, Calif.

Application August 19, 1940, Serial No. 353,255

1 Claim.

It is known that bathing garments made of certain materials, after being Wet get out of shape and become unsightly and objectionable. I refer to materials such as crinkly material, crepe, and

the like. I

I have conceived the idea of making a bathing garment out of two kinds of material or fabric quilted together with an elastic .or stretchable stitch, whereby there can be certain elasticity or stretching and return to normal condition.

I accomplish this by using wool-jersey, cottonjersey, rayon-jersey, or any knitted jersey-like material for the lining of the garment, cut straight with the ribs thereof, and using bias cut material, such as Seersucker, crapy fabric and the like, for the outer layer of the garment, and then quilting the two fabrics together with an elastic stitch, either zigzag or chain stitch, or with an elastic thread, quilting in and around such ornamentations as may be on the outer layer of the garment.

By using this method of having a lining cut straight with the ribs or threads thereof, and an outer fabric cut on the bias, or with the threads diagonal to those of the lining layer, and quilted together with a stretchable stitch, the garment will stretch and return to its normal shape, and thus avoid the objection of getting out of shape and becoming unsightly.

In order to more particularly illustrate and describe my invention, I have illustrated the same on the accompanying sheet of drawings, which I will now describe.

Figure 1 is a front View of a form with one of my garments shown thereon;

Figure 2 is a perspective rear view thereof;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section of two fabrics, with one broken away to illustrate how the two are quilted together; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged inside View of the brassire portion of the garment with parts broken out, showing the inside construction and arrangement.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the two parts of my improved garment are made with two different fabrics, quilted together in the manner indicated and for the purposes explained.

In the drawing the lining or inner layer may be of any wool-jersey, or cotton-jersey, rayon- 'ersey or other jersey-like material and is designated in all places as 5, while the outer material, or layer, would be of seersucker, crepe, silk rayon, or other crinkly or crapy fabric, having certain stretching qualities, and cut on the bias, and in all places in the drawing this outer fabric or material is designated 6.

In the drawing I have shown a two-part garment so made, and have designated the trunks with the reference number 1, indicating the elastic band 8 around the waist, with any kind of fastening means, as zipper fastenings at 9, while the brassiere is designated 10, with the upper portions l0, l0 constructed in accordance with my invention, and the lower part II of straight construction to resist pull around the body, to be tied in the back, as at I2.

On the inner side of said brassire, as seen in Fig. 4, I have provided two supporting wing-like portions, as l3, l3, to underlie and support the breasts, in a manner understood in the art.

An important feature of my invention is the quilting of the two different layers, or fabrics, together with a stretchable stitch, designated M in all places. This can be a zigzag, chain, or other undulating seam, or any stretchable seam, whereby to permit the stretching of the materials and their return to normal form, when dry.

In Fig. 3, it will be noted that the inner fabric, of wool, cotton, or jersey-like material, designated 5, is cut straight with the warp and woof of the material, the lines indicating the straight right angle relationship of the threads of the fabric, while the outer garment or layer 6, is shown cut on the bias, as is indicated by the lines thereon for indicating the warp and woof thereof.

On the drawing I have shown the zigzag or undulating form of seam or stitch, designated l4, and this even on straight pull will permit of certain stretching in all directions, and the return to normal form.

Any decorations can be used, of course, and for this I have simply indicated th circles representing discs of colored material, which can be in the shape of hearts, clover leaves, or any other design desired, and the seams or stitches l4 are shown in and around the same and forming part of the decorations in the form shown.

It will be understood, of course, that many different designs can be used and difierent forms of stitch or seam can be used, just so long as the seam used permits the stretching intended when the garment gets wet and must be dried, and I do not, therefore, limit my invention to the showing made for descriptive purposes, except as I may be limited by the hereto appended claim.

I claim:

As a new article of manufacture, a beach or bathing garment devoid of rubber fabric but possessing the characteristics of stretch and return to normal condition, comprising a body adapted to fit and overlie a substantial area of the human form, and means for holding the same in place when in use, said body portion consisting of superposed layers of fabric, the one being an under layer formed in part of threads and cut parallel to the said threads, and an outer layer formed in part of threads and cut on the bias so that its threads run diagonally to those of the under layer, the layers being relatively free in many areas, crossed lines of stretchable stitching defining said areas and constituting the means for fastening the layers together While permitting stretch of the garment transversely and longitudinally and return of the layers to normal position following such stretch.

MARGARET R. COBB. 

